Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1914 — NEW ALBANIA’S KING [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

NEW ALBANIA’S KING

Prince William of Wied to Undertake Difficult Task.

Gome Traits of People of Kingdom Which Will Be Ruled by Descendants of William of Orange— / Scutari to Be Capital.

London. —Scutari, that little township which King Nicholas of Montenegro was so averse to parting with, is to be the capital of the new autonomous Albanian states. On this point Italy and Austria are reported to be in agreement. As Italy and Austria have the strongest interest in the question, the acquiescence of the other European powers may be accepted as a matter of course. In Scutari, therefore, at some not far distant date, Prince William of Wied, nephew of the king of Roumania, will take his seat as a king. Europe will wish him well, for Prince William is undertaking a task of great

difficulty, and his new position will test his powers to the full. 1 The Albanians, his new subjects, object to any form of government, because it entails the collection of taxes, to which they are fanatically opposed, and this fact does "not make Prince William’s task any the eaßier. . It Is pretty certain, therefore, that there will be further fighting in Albania, since there are so many nations surrounding her who can easily etlr up trouble by bribery and who will benefit by the opportunity of interference in ordpr to restore order. The prospective king has virtually to create a new state out of the most Incongruous and refractory of materials.

Prince William was born at Neuwied in 1876. He married in 1906 Princess Sona of Schomburg Waldenburg. According to “Carmen Sylva,” his kinswoman, the prince of Wied descends in direct line from William of Orange. He is the eldest nephew of the emperor of Germany. His house has included a number of men who have distinguished themselves, not only on the battle field, but also in the fields of science and literature.

The young prince himself has been from his childhood a great lover of reading. “Carmen Sylva” sayß he never could be seen without a book in his hand. At the same time he paid great attention to physical culture, and developed into a regular athlete. He was acknowledged to be the strongest young student in the College of Jena. As a young officer he was known to be able with one arm to raise any of his comrades high into the air. He was attached for some time to the highest military academy, and afterward went to the general staff. He made always the best impression by his earnestness and high culture. He Is strikingly handsome in his military uniform, with the silver helmet surmounted by a silver eagle. Albania is a very mountainous country and the land for the most part is more suitable for grazing phrposes than agriculture. In the north a little maize, rice and barley is grown, while the mountain sides are used as pastures for numerous herds of cattle and sheep. In the south the slopes are covered with fruit and mulberry trees, with a few vineyards and olive groves here and there, while the densely wooded mountain ranges furnish valuable supplies of timber. The Albanians are really half civilized mountaineers and are very poor and very Ignorant, yet clever and learn very quickly. While under the oppressive yoke of the sultan they were forbidden to have their own language taught in the schools, or until lately even to print books In their own tongue. Like most highlanders, they are united In clans under their own chiefs and are constantly under arms, being more devoted to robbery than cattle rearing or agriculture. They live in perpetual anarchy, every village being at war with its neighbor. They are brave, hospitable, loyal and frank to a friend, but most vindictive to an enemy, and a traveler’s life is not safe in the wilder parts unless protected by a powerful chief.

Prince William of Wied.